Door check and closer.



H. KNAPP.

DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER. APPLICATION Hum MARJQ, 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEINRICH KNAPP, OF WEIMAR, GERMANY.

*DOOIR CHECK AND CLOSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

Application. filed March 19, 1910. Serial. No. 550,485. 7

This invention relates togimprovements in door checks and closers and has forits object to provide a device which embodies means for efficiently producing the closing of a door and which is in coaction with a means for braking the last stage of the closingmovement of1tl1e door, in order that thQwIiIttGI' may assume its closed position WVllIll a CGltfllIl and yet retarded action.

Anembodiment. of :the invention is illustrated in i the accompanying drawings whereins Figure l is, awplan view showing the door in closed position: and the relation of. the

parts subsequent to their operation; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view showing tllGydOOI' ajar. and the relation of the parts prior to their operation; Fig. 3. is aplan view showing the relation ofthe parts at theinception of their operation and during the last stage of the closing movement ,ofthe door; Fig. 4: is an end elevation, the partsv being shown asin the relation of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail.

Similar characters of reference designate .correspondlng parts throughout the several views.

The door as a has its closed position with relation to a jambor frame, as c, and the" arrangement. which forms the subject matter of the present invention is active only during the final stage of the closing movement Said arrangement embodies,

of the door. inter alia, a bracket, as 70, which, as shown, is attached to the .jamb or frame 0, an arm, as m, which, as shown, is carried by the door, and a pair of springs, as h, which govern the action of the arm m. It may be stated that while the bracket 7:, as shown, is attached to the jamb or frame 0, and the arm m, as shown, is carried by the door a, the positions of these parts and the adjuncts associated with each, may be interchanged, when demanded by convenience; that is to say, the bracket 7: may be carried by the door a and the arm m, and its adjuncts may be carried by the jamb c.

The bracket 7c is formed with a longitudinalslot, in which is mounted for adjustment aipin carrying at its upper end a roller 2) and carrying at its lower end a suitable fixing device which includes a nut and a washer, as Z, which is held by the nut inengagement with the milled or, otherwise roughened under face of thebracket is, as shownin Fig. 4:.

. The arm mis pivotedbetweenits ends,as at n, to a part of a bracket 0, which isprovided. with attachment flanges 0, through whichsfastening screws pass to secure said ibracketto theidoor. The outer end portion of the arinm is formed with an arcuate recess,the 2O111V8Cl facesof which are indicated by the characters m and m and have coaction with the %roller (2 in a manner to be hereinafter set forth. The springs 72. aforesaid are connected to an extension m? provided at the rear end of the arm m. and to the adjacent attachment flanges o aforesaid. The action of this part of the apparatus is, as follows: When the door is in its closed position, as shown in Fig. ,1, the springs h, which are preferably of the retractile coil type, hold the arm m in a positioniwhereinits recessed end portion projectslaterally from the bracketo, in which position the roller 6 isat the inner end-of the recess. @When the door isopened, the

roller (2 .acts on the curved face an aforesaid andrthus produces the movement ofthe. arm

-m-1continuously with the movement of the doorithrough an initial stage, to a position almost parallel to the bracket 0, abutting the edge ofthe door and wherein the springs hare just beyond their lines of dead center, asshown inFig. 2. .Whenthe arm m has been movedinto this position its recessed end clears the roller 12 and allows of the further unretarded opening movement of the door, during: whlch furtherwinovement the device is .cocked? orset by reason of the tion of its closing movement is unretarded, the device being inactive except during the last stage of the closing movement. At this time the curved face m comes into engagement with the roller 2), as shown in Fig. 3, and as a consequence of such engagement, the arm at is moved from the position of Fig. 3, back to the position of Fig. 1. The roller 6 is eflicient in effecting such movement of the arm m as will throw the springs it beyond their lines of dead center and thereafter the springs, acting on the arm 1% and through the intermediary of said arm and the roller 6, complete the movement of the door to the closed position, as will be obvious.

The bracket 0 to which reference has been made, is in the form of a cylinder which projects horizontally from the door and in which a piston 10 is slidable, this piston being connected by a link, as g, with the inner end of the arm m, as at m, and having a vent opening 0" which, during the inward movement of the piston, is closed by the flap valve 8, the latter incidentally serving as a packing. To prevent the trapping of air at the inner end of the cylinder 0, the latter is formed with an air escape opening, the eflicient size of which may be regulated by a screw 6.

The cylinder 0 is formed at one side thereof with a longitudinal slot, as a which serves the two-fold purpose of providing for the admission of air and of receiving the inner end portion of the arm m when the latter occupies the position of Fig. 1. The action of this part of the apparatus is as follows: When the arm m is moved from the position of Fig. l to the position of Fig. 2, in the manner explained, the piston p is consequently moved to the outer end of the cylinder 0 and during such outward movement of the piston p, air is admitted into the cylinder in the rear of said piston through the opening 1" as well as through the slot a. When, however, the arm m is moved from the position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. l, the piston p will be forced inwardly as is obvious. The slot a is of such a length that during the initial stage of the inward movement of the piston p and while the springs 72. are being shifted to a position at one side of their dead centers, air may be vented from the cylinder through said slot and consequently no cushion will be formed at this time which will resist the initial action of the parts or will interfere with or retard the movement of the springs beyond their lines of dead center. WVhen, however, the springs are shifted beyond their lines of dead center so that they can automatically act to complete the closing of the door, in the manner above explained, and to consequently complete the inward movement of the piston 39 a cushion is formed which efiiciently retards the action of the parts and which consequently retards the last stage of the closing movement of the door without interfering with the certainty of such closing movement. This effect of the cushion in retarding the closing movement of the door is had by reason of the fact that the pressure of air in the rear of the piston and which provides for the cushion aforesaid, is being constantly and gradually diminished by the escape of the air through the vent opening at the rear end of the piston and which is regulated by the screw t.

Having fully described my invention, I claim:

1. In a door closer and check, a projection carried by the door frame, a bracket carried by the door and formed with a cylinder, an arm pivoted between its ends to the bracket and having its outer end portion formed with an arcuate recess for cooperation with the projection, a spring having an end connected to the inner end of the arm and having an end connected to the door, a piston movable axially of the cylinder, a

link connecting the piston and the inner end of the arm, and means for venting air from the cylinder during the inward movement of the piston.

2. In a door closer and check, a projection carried by the door frame, a bracket carried by the door and formed with a cylinder, the latter having a vent opening at its inner end and having a longitudinal slot adjacent its outer end, an arm pivoted between its ends to the bracket, and having its outer end portion formed with an arcuate recess for cooperation with the projection, the inner end portion of the arm working through the slot, a retractile coil spring having an end connected to the door and an end connected to the inner end of the arm, a piston movable axially of the cylinder and having an air admission opening and a flap valve closure therefor, and a link connecting the piston and the inner end of the arm.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HEINRICH KNAPP. Witnesses:

ERNST EBERI-IARDT, BERTICE B. BUSSER. 

